Egypt Summons Turkish Envoy over Gaza Criticism

The foreign ministry told Ankara's charge d'affaires that it 'rejected and resented' Erdogan's comments against President Sisi.

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AFP, 20/07/14 18:16

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

Reuters

Egypt's foreign ministry on Sunday summoned Turkey's charge d'affaires over criticism of Cairo's handling of the war between Israel and Hamas in neighboring Gaza.

Turkey and Egypt withdrew their ambassadors last year after the military ousted Egyptian Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who had forged closer ties with Turkey's devout premier, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan on Friday called Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi a tyrant, saying Cairo could not be relied upon to negotiate a truce with Israel.

The foreign ministry told Ankara's charge d'affaires that it "rejected and resented" Erdogan's comments, it said in a statement.

Turkey and Qatar are both regional rivals of Egypt and have good relations with the militant Hamas rulers of Gaza, which rejected an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, in Cairo earlier this week, said he is lobbying Turkey and Qatar to pressure Hamas into accepting a ceasefire in the conflict that has killed more than 425 Palestinians and seven Israelis.